What is home and living funding in the NDIS?
Home and living funding is designed to help eligible participants live as independently and safely as possible. This funding pays for supports required to live in a home such as support workers and skill-building to live more independently.
This funding can cover things like cooking; cleaning, showering, dressing, money management, support or supervision from support workers. It generally does not pay for rent or mortgage repayments, groceries, utilities, internet, ordinary furniture, entertainment or other everyday expenses.
Who can access it?
This type of support is not suitable for all participants and does have a specific application process. There is no single requirement that applies to every type of home and living support. Each requested support must meet the NDIS funding criteria and relate to the participant’s disability.
Applying for home and living supports
A participant should first discuss their needs and goals with their my NDIS contact. The NDIA will usually require recent evidence as part of the application process.
Evidence should explain:
- The participant’s daily support and housing needs
- How often support is required, including overnight
- What the participant can and cannot do because of their disability
- How these limitations affect daily life and housing
- The options already explored and why they are unsuitable
- How the requested support will improve safety, independence or long-term outcomes
You can also provide your own information such as your goals. If you have preferences about how you are supported, you should share this information with the NDIA. For example, you might tell the NDIA about the daily tasks that you want to develop and learn, like getting dressed or making breakfast with less help.
You can also complete a report called a Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) which demonstrates the disability related support needs that require specialised housing or independent living assistance. However this report is not mandatory if other sufficient evidence is provided.
Once you have gathered your evidence, you can send it to the NDIS in the way that suits you best.
The NDIS will let you know what they need if you haven’t given them enough information to make a decision.
Main home and living options
Finally it is good to understand the different types of supports that are included in Home and Living. There are 5 main support types.
Supported Independent Living (SIL)
Supported independent living (SIL) is funding for a support worker to help you for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. SIL is for people that need a high level of support from a support worker in their home.
Individualised Living Options (ILO)
Individualised living options (ILO) funding can help you make choices about where you live, who you live with and how you want to be supported. ILO support may also be used alongside support from family, friends and other support in your community. You could share your home with housemates, or you could live in the home of a host.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) is a range of housing to support people with:
- extreme functional impairment
- very high support needs.
For example, SDA properties may include wide doorways, wheelchair-accessible kitchen sinks, ceiling hoists or button-operated doors.
Many participants living in SDA also have funding for in-home supports, like SIL funding. SDA funding pays the SDA provider, SIL funding pays for your carers and you pay the rent and bills.
Medium Term Accommodation (MTA)
Medium-term accommodation (MTA) is a type of funding you can use to live somewhere for up to 3 months, or 90 days. It’s only available in specific circumstances.
For example – When you have a home, but it’s not ready or you can’t live there or you might be waiting on a vacancy in specialist disability accommodation (SDA) but it isn’t ready for another month.
Home Modifications
Home modifications are changes made to your home to help you access and use areas of your home.
Home modifications can help make it safer for you to move around your home and increase your independence. This involves obtaining NDIS funding to make changes to your home.
If you feel you need someone to help you with your NDIS journey then talk to your myNDIS contact or planner or go to https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding-ndis/people-help-you on the NDIS website for further information.